Do people honestly sit on the loo for long enough to make picking up a book worthwhile?

Well, I consider any sit, anywhere, longer than 5 seconds to be worthy of picking up a book.I've been known to read at stoplights.

Me too.

We don't keep any reading material in the bathroom because there isn't really room. But I take something in with me. Since we all close the lid before flushing, I doubt there's many extra germs that can't be found in the rest of the house.

We divided up the weekend chores and older daughter was cleaning the 'public' bathroom on the main floor.She came out and said, in a miffed tone "Mom, we need to buy more Bathroom Readers. There's only old stuff in here!"

"I know dear. Go find the National Geographics. Those are all new."

Not only is it something the family noticed, but I had already picked out something new.

Logged

"I think her scattergun was only loaded with commas and full-stops, although some of them cuddled together for warmth and produced little baby colons and semi-colons." ~ Margo

I guess it's my upbringing then. We never had reading material in the bathroom, not only because my mother believed it was gross but because we were supposed to be in and out the bathroom as quickly as possible no matter what we were using it for. I'd have been in a heap of trouble if they thought I was in there reading.

Do people honestly sit on the loo for long enough to make picking up a book worthwhile?

Well, I consider any sit, anywhere, longer than 5 seconds to be worthy of picking up a book.I've been known to read at stoplights.

Me too.

Not as the driver of a motorized vehicle I hope?! I've done it myself when on bike, but never in a car.

The car's at a complete stop. I could be looking about at the scenery, or daydreaming, or thinking about my to-do list...but I think the distraction-disaster potential is just as much with any of those activities as with looking at my Kindle.

I disagree vehemently. That is one of the reasons why it's illegal in Denmark to use a hand held phone while driving even when stopped at a traffic light.

Would you mind explaining the logic? (genuinely curious. I've heard of laws like that. But I thought it was the same logic behind not allowing passengers to drink i.e. The banned activity is not really harmful, but the law takes away an excuse from the driver doing the harmful activity)

I disagree vehemently. That is one of the reasons why it's illegal in Denmark to use a hand held phone while driving even when stopped at a traffic light.

Would you mind explaining the logic? (genuinely curious. I've heard of laws like that. But I thought it was the same logic behind not allowing passengers to drink i.e. The banned activity is not really harmful, but the law takes away an excuse from the driver doing the harmful activity)

I don't mind at all

The way I've heard it explained is two-fold. First of all, by making it illegal to use a phone at all while driving makes the deniability smaller for those who'd break the law regardless. They can't go "Oh, I was only using it when stopping at a read light", since that's illegal too. In other words it makes it easier on the traffic police who already now have to ward off insane excuses (Best one I've heard, "I wasn't talking on the phone! I was just letting the caller know that I was driving so I couldn't talk." ... and just how did you do that without talking on the phone in the first place? To make it even better, there was a passenger in the car who could have delivered that message!).

Secondly it's the external distraction factor. Elisabunny might say that daydreaming or looking at the scenery is equally distracting, but apparently the police doesn't agree. At least if you're daydreaming you're still looking out of the car. You're not as likely to miss that a red light has turned green.

In Denmark talking on the cellphone while driving is a 1500DKK fine (~US$300). Granted, Kindles and other ereaders aren't mentioned specifically, so you might get off on a technicality - but I wouldn't count on it.

(As an aside, it's actually also illegal to talk on the cell phone while biking - that's a 1000DK fine (~US$200). )

I disagree vehemently. That is one of the reasons why it's illegal in Denmark to use a hand held phone while driving even when stopped at a traffic light.

Would you mind explaining the logic? (genuinely curious. I've heard of laws like that. But I thought it was the same logic behind not allowing passengers to drink i.e. The banned activity is not really harmful, but the law takes away an excuse from the driver doing the harmful activity)

I don't mind at all

The way I've heard it explained is two-fold. First of all, by making it illegal to use a phone at all while driving makes the deniability smaller for those who'd break the law regardless. They can't go "Oh, I was only using it when stopping at a read light", since that's illegal too. In other words it makes it easier on the traffic police who already now have to ward off insane excuses (Best one I've heard, "I wasn't talking on the phone! I was just letting the caller know that I was driving so I couldn't talk." ... and just how did you do that without talking on the phone in the first place? To make it even better, there was a passenger in the car who could have delivered that message!).

Secondly it's the external distraction factor. Elisabunny might say that daydreaming or looking at the scenery is equally distracting, but apparently the police doesn't agree. At least if you're daydreaming you're still looking out of the car. You're not as likely to miss that a red light has turned green.

In Denmark talking on the cellphone while driving is a 1500DKK fine (~US$300). Granted, Kindles and other ereaders aren't mentioned specifically, so you might get off on a technicality - but I wouldn't count on it.

(As an aside, it's actually also illegal to talk on the cell phone while biking - that's a 1000DK fine (~US$200). )

Yes, absolutely. You still have your hands on or near the wheel while daydreaming, and your eyes are still looking out of the car. I have no idea what the actual law would be, but I believe you could be fined for reading at a traffic light here in Australia also.

I disagree vehemently. That is one of the reasons why it's illegal in Denmark to use a hand held phone while driving even when stopped at a traffic light.

Would you mind explaining the logic? (genuinely curious. I've heard of laws like that. But I thought it was the same logic behind not allowing passengers to drink i.e. The banned activity is not really harmful, but the law takes away an excuse from the driver doing the harmful activity)

I don't mind at all

The way I've heard it explained is two-fold. First of all, by making it illegal to use a phone at all while driving makes the deniability smaller for those who'd break the law regardless. They can't go "Oh, I was only using it when stopping at a read light", since that's illegal too. In other words it makes it easier on the traffic police who already now have to ward off insane excuses (Best one I've heard, "I wasn't talking on the phone! I was just letting the caller know that I was driving so I couldn't talk." ... and just how did you do that without talking on the phone in the first place? To make it even better, there was a passenger in the car who could have delivered that message!).

Secondly it's the external distraction factor. Elisabunny might say that daydreaming or looking at the scenery is equally distracting, but apparently the police doesn't agree. At least if you're daydreaming you're still looking out of the car. You're not as likely to miss that a red light has turned green.

In Denmark talking on the cellphone while driving is a 1500DKK fine (~US$300). Granted, Kindles and other ereaders aren't mentioned specifically, so you might get off on a technicality - but I wouldn't count on it.

(As an aside, it's actually also illegal to talk on the cell phone while biking - that's a 1000DK fine (~US$200). )

Does all that include a hands-free phone? Because M and I talk everyday during the commute... that's 45 minutes both ways, that's an hour and a half that we talk that we otherwise couldn't. *And* it helps keep M focused during the drive.

I disagree vehemently. That is one of the reasons why it's illegal in Denmark to use a hand held phone while driving even when stopped at a traffic light.

Would you mind explaining the logic? (genuinely curious. I've heard of laws like that. But I thought it was the same logic behind not allowing passengers to drink i.e. The banned activity is not really harmful, but the law takes away an excuse from the driver doing the harmful activity)

I don't mind at all

The way I've heard it explained is two-fold. First of all, by making it illegal to use a phone at all while driving makes the deniability smaller for those who'd break the law regardless. They can't go "Oh, I was only using it when stopping at a read light", since that's illegal too. In other words it makes it easier on the traffic police who already now have to ward off insane excuses (Best one I've heard, "I wasn't talking on the phone! I was just letting the caller know that I was driving so I couldn't talk." ... and just how did you do that without talking on the phone in the first place? To make it even better, there was a passenger in the car who could have delivered that message!).

Secondly it's the external distraction factor. Elisabunny might say that daydreaming or looking at the scenery is equally distracting, but apparently the police doesn't agree. At least if you're daydreaming you're still looking out of the car. You're not as likely to miss that a red light has turned green.

In Denmark talking on the cellphone while driving is a 1500DKK fine (~US$300). Granted, Kindles and other ereaders aren't mentioned specifically, so you might get off on a technicality - but I wouldn't count on it.

(As an aside, it's actually also illegal to talk on the cell phone while biking - that's a 1000DK fine (~US$200). )

Does all that include a hands-free phone? Because M and I talk everyday during the commute... that's 45 minutes both ways, that's an hour and a half that we talk that we otherwise couldn't. *And* it helps keep M focused during the drive.

I keep a few magazines in the bathroom. However, I don't see much of an ick factor to it because those magazines don't travel throughout the house. Once they're in the bathroom, they're there for good (until they eventually get thrown out and replaced).

Logged

"Some of the most wonderful people are the ones who don't fit into boxes." -Tori Amos

My husband and I don't really think it's possible to visit the restroom without a book. We are both compulsive readers. My parents and brothers did not read for fun much, and I always thought I was weird until I met my husband's family. The first time I went home with him to meet his family, his aunt (more like a mother, since his parents died when he was twelve) came out of the restroom fussing because she forgot her book and had to read the shampoo bottles! We bonded on the spot, and were so close until her death three years ago that most people at our church thought she was MY mother!